Radio Netherlands Worldwide and the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad have had a massive response to the publication last week of a story about sexual abuse in the Catholic church during the 1960s. But few people have reacted directly to the official body set up to investigate this kind of complaint. Victims are concerned about the lack of impartiality of this church institution.
Dozens of readers responded to our investigation with anger, sadness and surprise and the Catholic church has now also spoken out about incidents of sexual abuse in a boarding school attached to the Don Rua monastery in ‘s-Heerenberg.
The Bishop of Rotterdam Ad van Luyn says he’s shocked by the claims and has ordered a wide-ranging investigation to be carried out into abuse in the church.
During the 1970s, Van Luyn was head of the Salesian order in the Netherlands – the religious order named in our investigation.
During the 1970s, Van Luyn was head of the Salesian order in the Netherlands – the religious order named in our investigation.
Three complaints
In 1995 the Catholic church set up a hotline for victims of sexual abuse called the Hulp&Recht foundation. Since then it’s received around 300 cases.
Three new complainants have contacted them about the Salesian fathers, according to Jan Waaijer, director of the helpline: “We’re mentioned on the websites of the Dutch dioceses and we feel we’re pretty well-known and have a fairly high public profile. But it’s good for us to ask ourselves how well-known we really are and how much people trust us? Because you’ve got to ask yourselves why people are prepared to go to the press, but not to come to Hulp&Recht.”
Waaijer acknowledges that potential victims may be put off by the complex complaints procedure. It’s something his predecessor was criticised for. But the hotline’s church background may also have a part to play, according to a 60-year-old man who was abused at a Catholic primary school in Utrecht and contacted us by phone:
“There’s been a letter from Hulp&Recht sitting on my desk for around six weeks,” he says, “but I’m still not sure about it… I wonder how impartially they can look at this and whether they can reach an independent conclusion. I’m not sure what their interests are as a church organisation, and how linked they are to other religious bodies. That’s not clear to me.”
“There’s been a letter from Hulp&Recht sitting on my desk for around six weeks,” he says, “but I’m still not sure about it… I wonder how impartially they can look at this and whether they can reach an independent conclusion. I’m not sure what their interests are as a church organisation, and how linked they are to other religious bodies. That’s not clear to me.”
Intimidation
Reactions on RNW’s website range from extremely emotional to very positive, like this one about Catholic boarding schools: “I have fond memories of many of my teachers and their wise lessons, especially of the Van Luyn brothers, the Thé ‘t Hort prefect and my unforgettable Dutch teacher Jan Klein. Without him I would never have reached the intellectual level I’m at now.”
Reactions on RNW’s website range from extremely emotional to very positive, like this one about Catholic boarding schools: “I have fond memories of many of my teachers and their wise lessons, especially of the Van Luyn brothers, the Thé ‘t Hort prefect and my unforgettable Dutch teacher Jan Klein. Without him I would never have reached the intellectual level I’m at now.”
But a number of reactions highlight male sexual abuse at Catholic institutions. “If he took his trousers off then you had to masturbate him – that’s all. But I thought it was really disgusting.”
We’ve received complaints about fathers who committed abuse, but haven’t been sacked. And claims that complaints about guilty priests weren’t taken seriously. One person even said he was intimidated after making a complaint.
We’ve received complaints about fathers who committed abuse, but haven’t been sacked. And claims that complaints about guilty priests weren’t taken seriously. One person even said he was intimidated after making a complaint.
Some former students can’t believe young people were abused. “I have really good memories of that time. Sexuality was seen as a mortal sin. I don’t understand how this could possibly have happened, because they always knew what we were up to.”
But others have described that reaction as naïve, because there was enough room for fathers to see boys separately, on their own.
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SIC: RNW